DENVER, Colorado — The city of Denver said they are hoping to add eight new protected bike lanes next year.
This follows calls from advocacy groups to add more safeguards after three cyclists were killed in Denver this year. City data shows another 28 were seriously injured.
One of those killed was Alexis Bounds, who died over the summer. The driver who hit her pleaded guilty to careless driving resulting in death Friday.
Months later, hundreds of people have come to public meetings to learn about how the new lanes will work and what they’ll look like.
“These bike lanes are kind of going to form the backbone of Denver’s bike network,” said Jack Todd, Policy Manager for advocacy group Bicycle Colorado. “They are really important because they give access to a large segment of the population, to safe and accessible and enjoyable infrastructure.”
The eight lanes will provide a physical barrier between cars and cyclists with the hope of getting more people out of their cars and onto bicycles. The city said a survey shows 60% of Denverites are interested in riding a bicycle but have safety concerns.
Eventually, cycling advocates said they would like to see infrastructure grow to allow cyclists to get from one end of the city to the other without ever riding directly next to a vehicle.
“People want to feel like they have their own space and get from A to B without fear of injury and that’s huge,” Todd said.
The city will begin to wrap up the planning of phase of some of these bike lanes in the coming months. Construction is set to start in fall 2020.
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